Airbnb: The Villain in Cheltenham's Housing Crisis?
I once knew Cheltenham as a charming, historic town, a place where the Georgian terraces stood as testaments to a bygone era of elegance and refinement. Now, it seems, it’s become a battleground between long-term residents and short-term visitors. And at the heart of this conflict lies a digital behemoth: Airbnb.
It began innocently enough. A spare room here, a cozy flat there, offered up to tourists seeking a quaint English experience. But what started as a sharing economy has morphed into a corporate juggernaut, gobbling up housing stock and turning once-thriving communities into ghost towns on weekdays.
The statistics are stark: regularly over 750 listings mean rents have soared, forcing locals out of their homes and into smaller, less desirable areas or out of town commuting. Afordable family houses are now beyond the reach of ordinary people, thanks to the allure of short-term, high-yield rentals.
The character of neighbourhood's changing, as shops and cafes cater to tourists rather than locals. It's as if we're living in a permanent pantomime, where the real residents are mere extras in a play directed by the Airbnb algorithm.
Of course, it's not just Airbnb's fault. A lack of affordable housing, lax regulations, and a booming tourist industry all play their part. But the platform has undoubtedly exacerbated the problem. It's a classic case of the tragedy of the commons, where individual greed undermines the collective good.
Perhaps it's time for a more nuanced approach. Perhaps we could introduce stricter regulations on short-term rentals, limit the number of properties available, or levy higher taxes on Airbnb hosts. Or perhaps we could simply encourage a return to the original spirit of sharing, where hospitality is a gesture of kindness, not a source of profit.
Whatever the solution, one thing is clear: Cheltenham's young people in particular need their home town to be a place to work, and raise families, not just a backdrop for someone else's Instagram feed.
The Cheltenham tenant Union is building supporter numbers to increase our collective lobbying power.
You support our aims, is it a crazy idea help out by chipping in with the price of a coffee?
https://buymeacoffee.com/cheltenhamtenantunion
